Nadia Podoroska edges Eugenie Bouchard in three sets at Chennai Open

Nadia Podoroska in action against Eugenie Bouchard at the Chennai Open. 

Nadia Podoroska pulled off another comeback that sealed her place into the final four at the Chennai Open Friday night. The former French Open semifinalist went the distance against Eugenie Bouchard, who gave it her best but came up short in a 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 result on center court at the Mhalunge Balewadi Tennis Complex.

The Canadian pulled together two wins that she hadn’t been able to accomplish in more than 500 days. Her victory over India’s best chance at the tournament allowed her to dig deep and face the Argentinian for the first time. Podoroska didn’t have an easy time making the quarterfinal, going the distance against a stubborn Tatjana Maria. After investing much more time on the court than Bouchard did in straight sets, the competition for the semifinal was to be taut.

To make sure she had leverage right from the start, Bouchard came through late on the first break of deuce to win on Podoroska’s serve. She went on to consolidate, and control the pace through the next three games, shutting Podoroska out in each one. It wasn’t till the fifth that the 25-year-old got on the board with a service hold. She upped the ante in the sixth, gaining breakpoints at 40-15. Bouchard rallied to save all of them for deuce, leading the two into a lengthy tug of war for the coveted point.

After seven breaks and four of them saved by Bouchard, the 28-year-old found a way to sit 5-1 in what was the longest game of the match. She managed to breeze through the seventh game, holding Podoroska to a point, before taking the set in 38 minutes. Like her efforts on Wednesday, the Canadian had a solid first serve percentage, winning 14 from 18 and saving all seven breaks faced. The Argentinian committed two double faults and struggled to keep up, but her time wasn’t running out.

In the second set, Podoroska suffered her third shutout of the match, but held once she got the chance to serve. She went on to score a break against Bouchard, consolidating on that in the fourth. It appeared something bothered the 28-year-old, but she continued playing on, suffering another break at the hands of Podoroska. Before the sixth, the Canadian called the trainer to examine an issue with her midsection. At the end of the medical timeout, Podoroska went for a chance at 5-1 but watched Bouchard get in the action and break back.

The 28-year-old backed up the break in the sixth, with a service to love chewing into Podoroska’s lead. The 25-year-old stayed ahead of Bouchard, gaining back her two-game buffer, until the ninth, when she suffered a loss of set point, failing to capture a break chance. With a game separating the two from a fight deeper into the second, the players through it all out to win the tenth game. Podoroska saved a breakpoint for Bouchard and brought up her second set point.

The Argentinian suffered two consecutive double faults, but despite opening the door for Bouchard, her opponent couldn’t connect the victory. It led them to play on, and after four breaks in total, Podoroska earned the set, leading Bouchard to smash her racket after 68 minutes of play. The 25-year-old had four double faults in the set, but her efforts late gave her a chance to go for broke in the decider.

They both chose to ditch the heat rule and play on, which Podoroska took in the shape of a service hold. She went on to back it up, breaking the Canadian to love in the second. Podoroska took a commanding 3-0 lead, showing plenty of dictation until play was suspended due to lightning in the area. After a 31-minute delay, the players returned to the court with Bouchard scoring a break in the fourth, ending Podoroska’s streak.

The Canadian suffered a loss of serve in the fifth, giving the 25-year-old a comfortable margin. She went on to comfortably handle her service for a 5-1 lead, giving Bouchard one last chance to keep her efforts alive. The Canadian drew errors from Podoroska, who only got one point in the game but had another shot at closing Bouchard out.

The Argentinian suffered her eighth double fault but still had match points to burn against the 28-year-old. She blew her chance to ease through the service with an error into the net, bringing Bouchard to deuce. Podoroska made a mistake in a rally, but Bouchard was the one who made an even bigger one. It handed the 25-year-old another match point which she captured on a long return behind the baseline completing another thrilling comeback that took 2 hours and 24 minutes to accomplish.